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Terrelle Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft. It was the late Al Davis' last draft pick for a franchise that he ran for half a century. His last pick was the perfect story book ending to his great career. Selecting Pryor with a 3rd round pick not only fit Davis' mold of targeting the biggest and fastest players, but by selecting him so high he proved once again that he only cared about one opinion and one opinion only, his. That was last year though, and this year the Raiders find themselves with new management and a new agenda for building this team. Where Pryor fits into those plans, will likely be determined by his development over the next couple of seasons. Because last years supplemental draft wasn't until August 22nd, Pryor did not get much practice time with the team in training camp. He also faced a 5 game suspension to begin his first NFL season for his violations of NCAA policy in college. While this is techn...

The Oakland Raiders came into the offseason with salary cap issues and needing to improve a team that finished a disappointing 8-8 last season. New general manager Reggie McKenzie was hired to reshape the Raiders' front office and establish a new philosophy to guide the team into the future. McKenzie has a plan and as time passes his philosophies will slowly be revealed. So far, McKenzie has made a flurry of moves designed to help the Raiders reach short-term and long-term goals such as getting under the salary cap and shedding back-loaded contracts that would have handicapped his plans in 2013 and beyond. A lot of activity doesn't always indicate a lot of change. As it stands, the Raiders will return 16 of 22 starters.   What does the Raiders activity or lack of activity mean for the team in 2012?   1. Reggie McKenzie wants to win and knows how to build a team to do it. Overreacting, overvaluing and overpaying is not a recipe for success in the NFL. The most successful teams ...

Al Davis carefully planned his estate so his son could retain full control of the team. It will be Mark Davis who leads the team into an era of Raiders football without his legendary father. Mark Davis waited three months before making any changes on the football side of the organization, but changes were inevitable. Perhaps the best slogan for the 2012 Raiders would be, "Under New Management." The Raiders have hired 21 new people on the football side of the organization and whereas a quality control coach will have little to no impact on the immediate or long-term success of the team, a general manager will have significant impact.   21. Eric Sanders, Quality Control - Defense He's been with the team for two years and even the most die-hard fan doesn't recognize the name. Sanders coached linebackers at U.C. Davis for two seasons and he was a psychology major before joining the Raiders. He'll make copies of play sheets and get the rest of the staff coffee. That...

Defensive Coordinator   Bill Johnson - Raiders denied permission to interview. Age: 65 Current Position: Defensive Line Coach, New Orleans Saints Previous DC Experience: None Notes: Coached at Texas A&M during Dennis Allen's playing career and got him hired by the Falcons. Johnson followed Allen to New Orleans. Too much history here to ignore.   Billy Davis Age: 46 Current Position: LB coach, Cleveland Browns Previous DC experience: 2005-2006 49ers, 2009-2010 Cardinals Ed Donatell Age: 53 Current Position: DB Coach, San Francisco 49ers Previous DC experience: 2008 (Univ. of Washington), 2004-2006 (Atlanta Falcons), 2000-2003 (Green Bay Packers) Brett Maxie Age: 50 Current Position: DB coach, Dallas Cowboys Previous DC experience: None Richard Smith - Raiders denied permission to interview Age: 56 Current Position: LB Coach, Denver Broncos Previous DC Experience: 2006-2008 (Houston Texans), 2005 Miami Dolphins Joe Whitt Jr. - Interviewed Age: 33 Current Position: Seconda...